System and methodology for developing, integrating and monitoring computer applications and programs

Abstract

The present invention provides a system, method and computer program product for developing distributed applications, integrating component programs, integrating enterprise applications and managing change. The invention provides for an infrastructure where component programs that are the computational logic of the distributed application are installed over a network of computing units having controller programs running on each of these computing units. The invention provides for separating the concerns of computation, installation, execution and monitoring of the distributed application in terms of time, space and people involved. This is accomplished as the component programs simply perform the computation task and the communication between the component programs and their monitoring is handled by the controller programs.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 284,652, filed on Apr. 17, 2001.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention generally relates to distributed computing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system, method and computer program for developing and monitoring distributed applications, integrating component programs, integrating enterprise applications and change management.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Traditionally, enterprises have employed monolithic computers for performing their computational tasks; these computers had applications that contained the logic for solving different kinds of computational tasks. Such applications, now often referred to as legacy applications, were structured either as a single large program or were split into separate programs (also called component programs) that worked together to perform t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0036]The distributed application can be composed externally in a data store by specifying the component programs that make up the application, the communication routes between these component programs and the nodes on which the component programs would be run. A Graphical User Interface facilitates composing of a distributed application even by a non-programmer. Alternatively, a distributed application may be composed by directly entering the component program and routing details into the data store.

[0037]When the distributed application has been composed the infrastructure ensures that all the component programs that form part of the application have been installed on the appropriate nodes and are ready to launch whenever the controller program gives a launch command. The controller programs then launch their respective component programs, if the component programs are not already running. The component programs start executing the application once they receive input data on their input ports. The controller programs pass data from one component program to another based on the routing information disseminated to them from the data store in which the distributed application has been composed. The component programs present on each node are only concerned with taking the data presented by the controller programs on their input ports, processing the data and writing the results to their output ports. The controller programs provide an infrastructure for the component programs to interact with each other thus aiding in the development of distributed applications and integrating enterprise applications.

Problems solved by technology

When such individual applications were deployed on a plurality of networked PCs, a lot of integration issues arose, which were mainly due to the heterogeneous environment wherein such applications were deployed.

Some problems of integrating applications across multiple enterprises are being handled today by Business-to-Business (B2B) platforms.

This results in an inflexible integrated application where any modification in the workflow or data routes entails changing the application code itself.

Indeed, this is a very tedious process.

Further, since data routing is embedded within the application code, any network failure may result in the halting of the integrated application, which in turn, may require re-routing the data as well as recompilation and re-launching of the integrated application.

Therefore, EAI and B2B platforms provided by such companies tend to be very rigid and involve a lot of custom programming.

In addition, all data exchanged between applications needs to go through the central server, thereby, causing this server to become a single point of failure.

This type of topological restriction is inefficient and inflexible, and it forces obvious bottlenecks into the distributed system.

Clearly, these problems are likely to exacerbate while trying to integrate applications in an enterprise or across several enterprises.

It may be noted that the above problems would also exist in case a large and complex application is broken down into component programs and distributed across multiple computers connected over a network.

These companies do not build platforms that help developers create new distributed applications easily; instead, they provide for an agent based platform that efficiently utilizes the unused power of various computers, servers and PCs in a network.

Hence, in addition to all the problems mentioned in previous paragraphs, the developer also has to worry about the routing of information between the component programs, monitoring the component programs, handling additions and replacements of the component programs, and other related issues with the software platforms provided by United Devices and Ubero, Inc.

Therefore, after launching the distributed application it is not possible to change the order in which the application shall jump across various computers.

Second, as the code has to be typed in the GUI to create a task, no pre-built or off-the-shelf application can be easily used in this system.

Third, the system necessarily requires each task to be created and launched from within its environment and these tasks cannot be re-used by similar applications.

Fourth, it is difficult to change the routes or tasks at run time, since any change would entail re-compiling or re-transmitting the entire application.

Sixth, the system uses the types of tasks as a failsafe, which results in a tightly coupled system.

Finally, the process of transferring tasks to execute the application from one node to another at run time consumes a lot of network bandwidth.

Because of the aforementioned shortcomings, this system does not allow pre-built component programs or applications to be easily integrated into the system.

Specifically, the above-mentioned system is unable to support applications with a dynamic workflow.

It may thus be noted that although work has been done in the area of developing distributed applications; the prior art does not address the problem of developing distributed application easily.

Prior art also does not provide for dynamically changing the distributed application to meet many real world requirements.

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